It only took one swing for this Reds prospect to spark fan excitement

Back in 2021, a 19-year-old Cincinnati Reds prospect caught the eye of scouts and talent evaluators in the Arizona Complex League with ridiculous displays of power and speed. The young shortstop aggressively made his way up through the minor leagues and has since become a bonafide superstar.

Of course, that former top prospect is Reds' shortstop Elly De La Cruz who's since vaulted from an unknown international signee to become a two-time All-Star and the face of the Reds franchise. Cincinnati, however, may have another phenom on their hands in shortstop prospect Tyson Lewis who just unloaded on a baseball for his first-ever Single-A home run on Friday night.

Lewis, who was just recently promoted from the ACL, went 2-for-6 in his Daytona Tortugas debut. One of those balls left the bat at 111 mph and travelled 437 feet. This is the second such mammoth blast that's suddenly gripped the attention of top talent evaluators.

It only took one swing for Reds prospect Tyson Lewis to spark fan excitement

Lewis was the Reds' second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Taken with the 51st-overall selection out of Millard West High School in Omaha, Nebraska, Lewis inked an over-slot signing bonus worth more than $3 million. Given his performance thus far, Lewis is proving he's well worth the investment.

In 46 games for the ACL Reds, Lewis hit .340/.396/.532 with six home runs, 35 RBI, and 134 wRC+. Recently, Keith Law of The Athletic (subscription required) ranked Lewis among the top 60 prospects in all of Major League Baseball. Law said Lewis has 20/20 potential (20-plus home runs and 20-plus steals in a single season), though he believes it could take him longer to develop than some of the other young shortstop prospects throughout MLB.

Given the Reds' shortstop depth, there's no reason to rush Lewis to the big leagues anytime soon. Cincinnati has De La Cruz firmly entrenched as the team's starting shortstop, and prospects like Leo Balcazar, Edwin Arroyo, and Sammy Stafura are already further along in their development that Lewis at this point.

But if Reds fans are looking for the next big prospect to emerge from Cincinnati's burgeoning farm system, they should keep their eyes on Lewis.

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